France, Vietnam
Leonardo, Bell and Russian influence fail to deter Airbus Helicopters

Pakistan, United States
Pakistani veterans lead race for contracts as defence ties with US relaunched

Sales agents are redoubling their efforts to benefit from current favourable defence relations between Washington and Islamabad. Among them, Pakistan Aviation & Aerospace has won a contract to act as the local representative of Texan helicopter manufacturer Bell.

Vietnam
Vietnamese coast guard anti-corruption trial jeopardises Western defence deals

Five Vietnamese senior coast guard service officers are currently being tried for corruption, while the Communist Party and defence ministry are taking back control of the service's procurement.

France, Vietnam
Vietnamese air force sounds out French firms on training cooperation at Paris Air Show

The Vietnamese air force, which has traditionally turned to Russia for its hardware and pilot training needs, is looking for new international partners, particularly for cooperation on training. This was the guiding principle for the visit made to the Paris Air Show by its deputy commander.

The Intelligence Gazette
Vietnam's MPS, Qassem Al Araji in Tehran, France's new South East Asia diplomat, FSB

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every week, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community from Hanoi to Paris, via Tehran and Moscow.

VietnamTo Lam wants to further condense public security hierarchy

Iraq/IranQassem Al Araji defuses Sulaymaniyah security issues before return to Tehran

France/Vietnam/RomaniaOlivier Brochet tipped to succeed ambassador Warnery in Hanoi

RussiaFSB's new technical director settles in

France, Italy, Vietnam
Thales and Leonardo fight for influence in Hanoi

Defence giant Thales suspects competitor Leonardo of derailing a major contract the group had secured in Vietnam. At the heart of the conflict lies a French hotel developer who was operating covertly for the Italian rival.

Malaysia
Leonardo and Airbus wage battle for Malaysian skies

Competition for the helicopter market in Malaysia is ramping up with the arrival of a local newcomer backed by Airbus, which is upsetting the monopoly previously enjoyed by Leonardo's local partner, Weststar.

United States, Vietnam
Bell flies full speed ahead on helicopter sales in Vietnam

US manufacturer Bell was part of a large business delegation that travelled to Hanoi in March. It hopes to sell helicopters to the Ministry of Public Safety in Hanoi. For the first time since the two countries were at war, Vietnamese helicopter pilots are being trained on US soil.

Spotlight | Europe, United States, Vietnam
Leonardo pounces on potential Vietnamese helicopter deal after Moscow loses exclusivity

The war in Ukraine is forcing Vietnam into having to acquire a new fleet of civil and military helicopters over the next few years due to problems with the maintenance and update of its Russian-made aircraft.

France, Israel, Vietnam
Vietnam baulks at Airbus's observation satellite proposal

While the French embassy in Vietnam is still hoping that Airbus might land an earth observation satellite order, the Vietnamese government appears unready to commit, marking what could be the end of this central project in the two countries' bilateral defence cooperation and a blow to French chances of further defence contracts in Vietnam.

Spotlight | Lebanon, Saudi Arabia
Final dash for Lebanese military deals

Lebanon's acquisition of military materiel under a $1 billion envelope that Riyadh granted to prime minister Saad Hariri in August is proceeding apace. Intelligence Online can also reveal that there has been a breakthrough on Saudi Arabia's $3 billion package [.

Bell, Airbus and Leonardo compete for air force helicopter contract

Tunis is moving ahead with revived plans to buy helicopters that its army needs. Several bidders have come forward, but the authorities are still looking for ways to fund the purchases.